Posh Swaps Blog

Finding eco friendly footwear can sometimes be tricky. Second hand shoes can be difficult to find in the right size and conventional shoes can be environmentally damaging due to the tanning of leather, synthetic materials and glues used in the manufacture.

For the winter, everybody needs a great pair of boots and we have spotted some amazing eco friendly options at Spartoo.

These CREA grey boots by Airstep are a really individual version of the classic biker boot. They are made using vegetable tanned leather which eliminates the use of environmentally damaging chemicals for tanning the leather. They would look great worn with a pair of skinny jeans.

These Duna Silko boots by Eco brand El Naturalista are also made using vegetable tanned leather. They were designed taking inspiration from the feeling of freedom that rules in the Namibian desert. The heel makes them great for wearing with a smart casual outfit. They look great with trousers or a skirt.

These Organico Fimi boots by El Naturlista are made from by a Scottish artist who takes Mother Nature for his muse. They are made from different pieces of vegetable tanned leather stitched together. They are perfect for wearing with a cosy casual winter outfit.

Louise Redknapp to host ‘eve Fashion Swap’ this September.

Fashionable women from all over Manchester are being invited to pick some stylish items from their wardrobe that they can bring along to a spectacular ‘fashion swap’ event taking place at Dukes 92 in Castlefield on Wednesday15th September.  Louise Redknapp will be hosting the event.   

The ‘eve Fashion Swap’, created by new drinks brand eve, has been inspired by the latest ‘swishing’ trend – the fashionistas way of updating their wardrobe for free. Ladies simply choose an item of unwanted good quality clothing, bring it along to the event and exchange it for someone else’s.  

Unlike many fashion swap events, tickets are free. Anyone who’d like to come along simply needs to apply for SMS tickets by texting ‘eve Manchester’ to 82500. In return, a unique code will be sent to their phone which can be shown at the entrance to allow them access to the swap.

The doors open at 6pm, and as the last few clothes are sorted ladies can sample the new eve lychee and eve passionfruit drinks and enjoy bespoke eve cupcakes. Then once Louise Redknapp declares the swap officially open, the rail rummaging can begin. As the swap progresses organisers will be secretly placing surprise items on the rails, so there will be loads of bargains on offer for the most thorough of guests!

In between trying on clothes, the swapsters can get style advice from a celebrity stylist, and could enjoy one of the limited mini-manicures. There will also be an eve goodie bag for each attendee to take away at the end of the night. 

Louise Redknapp, who is the official face of eve, says:

 “It’s no secret that I absolutely adore fashion and I love shopping with friends. The eve Fashion Swap embodies this perfectly, so it’s the perfect night out for women who are serious about style. I’m sure the ladies of Manchester will share my passion for fashion and love my latest find, eve. I can’t wait to see what they bring along, I’ll definitely be having a look through the rails myself.”

For further information visit http://refreshingeve.com/fashion-swap

An eco fashion company from the Isle of Wight is taking on fashion’s last big challenge –making eco fashion cool.

Rapanui use eco-textiles like organic cotton and bamboo, trade and manufacture ethically using renewable energy and host an award winning traceability tool on their website where shoppers can quickly find out exactly how and where their clothing is made. Now that they have established an eco-friendly supply chain the company has turned its attention to the design challenge – turning eco-fashion around from hippy to hip.

Their women’s collection is about creating super soft, flattering basics- eco fashion essentials that are made to last and outlast seasons. From knickers and socks to leggings and great basic t-shirts,

Rapanui have created a collection full of wardrobe essentials made ethically from natural, organic materials – eco clothing that packs a serious style punch.  

Designer Martin Drake-Knight  states “We all know, at the back of our minds, that fast fashion has some quite serious and negative consequences, but it can be hard to find out exactly where clothing comes from and how it is made, and the ranges that clearly are eco-friendly are also clearly not chic. At Rapanui we want to change that, and make it convenient for people to shop quickly, with a conscience. Eco Fashion no longer has to be exclusive or expensive.”

Rob Drake Knight, Co Founder, continues, “The great thing about using eco-fabrics is that they are naturally softer, more breathable and comfy. We’ve also developed initiatives like Traceability and Eco-labelling to make ethical shopping easier on the high street and online.”

The brand says that it’s not that people don’t care about these issues, it’s just they don’t know and suggest that fashions unique power to inspire trends could be used to some good.

Rapanui are winners of the 2010 Sustainable Business Awards, Runners up at the 2010 Enterprising Young Brits Awards and finalists at the 2010 RSPCA Good Business Awards. Rob and Mart Drake-Knight are also listed on the Future 100 List of Top Young Ethical Entrepreneurs.

So take a look at their women’s organic clothing and do your bit for nature.

Hemp is an incredibly versatile plant that can be used to make all sorts of products from clothing and shoes to rope. It can even be used for buildings. The beauty of using hemp as a replacement for a variety of different materials is that it is highly sustainable. Hemp can be grown without the need for pesticides or fertilisers making it a great alternative to cotton. Hemp is also really fast growing as it is a grass, this makes it easily renewable in contrast to timber and wood. The oil from hemp seeds contain amino acids and essential fatty acids making it a great food product but the oil is also used for a huge variety of other industrial products. The oil can even be used as an bio fuel which is a great alternative to non renewable fossil fuels.

The fibre of the hemp plant is also called bast and used to make textiles and paper. The plant typically produces 10% more fibre than either cotton or flax and is strong and quick growing. Textiles made from the hemp plant can be used to make shoes, clothing, sails and carpets. It was widely used for these purposes before the industrial revolution but its popularity then declined due to the availability of other textiles. Hemp clothing is now beginning to become popular again primarily because of sustainability of the plant. Po-zu Ecological Shoes uses hemp as an alternative to leather for manufacturing its ethical and vegan shoes.  

It is hard to imagine but the strength from the hemp plant can be harnessed and used to strengthen buildings. Hempcrete, as it is known is made by mixing hemp hurds and lime. It is less brittle than concrete and therefore is more resistant to cracking reducing the need for expansion joints. Hemp has also been used in other composite materials for construction. The use of hemp in this way is really just in its infancy stage with it mostly being used for prototypes.

Hemp can also be used to make the composite panels for cars. The hemp bast fibre is mixed with fibreglass for a strong material

 As well as it many other uses hemp oil, which is obtained from the fruit of the hemp plant, can be taken as a dietary supplement and has been shown to relieve the symptoms of eczema. It also has anti inflammatory properties and can be used for medical purposes.

The hemp plant is also very useful for ecological reasons. It can be used to clean waste water removing impurities like sewage. It can remove excess phosphorus from chicken effluent or other chemicals. It has even been used to clear contaminents after the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl.  The density and height that the hemp plant can grow to make it ideal for weed control. It minimises the pool of weed seeds i n the soil and is particularly useful for controlling tough weeds, helping to reduce the use of herbicides.

With its sustainability and many different uses, hemp could well be one of the crops of the future providing a partial solution to a number of environmental issues. There are however some issues surrounding the scale of hemp production which is partially limited by it status as a controlled crop in the US. With time, hopefully the production of hemp will become scalable allowing it to be used more extensively to make these many products.

 Po-Zu aims to set new standards in ethical and ecological footwear manufacture with its range of vegan shoes and natural footwear that are healthy for your feet, safe for all the workers throughout the supply chain, and kind to the environment.